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President and Hermana Sloan of Mision Quito invited us to spend a day touring Quito with one of their friends, a taxista and bishop of one of the wards in Quito. One of the sites we were not to miss was La Mitad del Mundo or Middle of the World, the site of the equator.




In the 1700s a team of scientists from Europe and South America determined the equator by instuments of measurement. Many scientists were from France. It was not until just a few years ago the GPS system was used to find the exact middle of the earth. This museum is actually a working museum where the visitor can see for himself/herself the effects of the forces on either side of the line and at the very center.

The main entrance to the original site is lined with granite statues of the scientists who determined the equator. We are with the driver, the friend of the Sloans.

The monument behind us marks the original line. The world sits atop the monument.

Holding up the world is an exact science according to our driver who posed us well. Poor guy, he did such a good job posing us and taking this picture, a tour group asked him to that for them, several of them. Finally, we were able to draw him away.

The entrance and walk to the monument is the length of a city block--quite dramatic. At this site are tourist shops and restaurants in addition to museums. It is clearly a tourist "trap" but very interesting.

At the museum site of the true equator, our guide performed several experiments with us to demonstrate the forces on the line and on either side. This demonstration shows how man does not have the strength to press his thumbs together. Our guide pulled them apart easily. However, when Dad stood on either side of the equator, the guide could not pull his thumbs apart.

One can balance an egg at the equator because the force is directly downward. The guide balanced the egg easily. It was not so easy for us, but we saw it successfully done. Someone told us after we should have given the egg time for the yolk to settle. Who knows?

Another experience I didn't get a picture of was showed how a basin of water on the equator line flows directly downward. On the south side of the equator the water flows clockwise. On the north side of the equator the water flows out counter clockwise. Or do I have that backward???

When Dad was standing directly at the equator, the guide could force Dad's arms down easily because the forces are so strong at the equator. On either side of the line Dad could hold his own against the strength of the guide.

Here I am trying to walk directly on the line but the forces at the equator pulled me off to the side.

Dad took a couple of steps before the forces pulled him off the line.

This feeling of a pulling force was a bit unsettling for me. I couldn't even put my right foot on the line without falling over. After all this exercise, we were ready for a good lunch at the original site just a few yards away.

Quevedo, Ecuador

Never did we even dream of visiting Luis Cedeno and his family in Quevedo, Ecuador. But when we were asked to visit Mision Quito a week ago, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to fly to Guayaquil after the our meetings in Quito. Quevedo is a small city three hours north of Guayaquil. It would have been faster to take a bus from Quito but a little dangerous because of winding, mountain roads which are not in the best condition.



Luis's sister and his mother have a fun sense of decorating. They change the decorations and colors seasonally. His sister's house is still decorated for Christmas.

Luis is a friend from our Chile Mission. He was serving as the medical connection in Mision Vina del Mar when we met him. When he needed surgery twice, we became well acquainted with him because stayed with us while recovering. He visited us here in Lima last March.

This was a fun and refreshing treat--coco agua or coconut water. The fellow selling the treat used a large machete to clean and shape the vessels.

On the three-hour drive from Guayaquil with Luis's cousin, a taxi driver, we passed groves and groves of bananas, coco palms, rice paddies, corn, and sugar cane. This is a farm house. Many houses are made of bamboo and reed and perched on stilts. A ladder is leaned against the front of the 8' square house.

On Saturday we went to market with Luis's mother who shops only at the open air market. She has her favorite farmers and buys only where she can pick out the fruits, vegetables and fish herself. This ice cream salesman carried his stool and ice cream around the market, stopping only when someone asked for ice cream. Unsure of the source, we didn't eat any ice cream.

Fish heads, anyone?

This double decker bus carried farm workers to market and back.

This was a fun scene--a young man was perched on a bag of vegetables reading the newspaper while a family member, most likely his mother, sold her produce.

I couldn't resist taking this picture of a family selling bananas on the corner across the street from the market.

To market, to market--one wonders what the purpose is for the live piglets at market...

A typical street scene in Quevedo--Luis and his mother live in the home behind the blue and yellow fence. Right now his sister and her son are also living with them.

Behind Luis is his mother cooking our dinner. Three bedrooms are on the left. We stayed in a small, comfortable hotel on the Rio Quevedo.

These are banana trees. You can see a blue bag in the lower right of the picture. The bananas are bagged to protect them from insects. When the bananas are cut, they are left on the thick stem. I took this picture from the car. The groves are owned by Dole and Chiquita. Great signs identify the companies. Just like the orchards in Utah, workers live on the property. Bananas grow year round and are harvested four times a year.

This is sugar cane in the early stages of growth.

Oscar stopped the car to take our picture in front of rice fields.

Typically a house in South American cities is behind a cement wall and iron fencing. There is no grass, just a cement patio and parking.

This statue of a nursing mother in the center of a busy intersection, a round-a-bout or "ovalo," was a fitting backdrop for a photo of Dad, the pediatrician.

Quevedo is on a river, and like many other cities, the water front is being developed for the citizens to enjoy. Before the water front park was developed, the area was dark, muddy, and dangerous. No families come to spend the day. There are many park benches, vendors of all kinds, and restaurants.

As the plane lifted off and gained altitude, we were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Chestnuts Roasting by an Open Fire

These are a few, random, end-of-the-year pictures I didn't get into the other blogs.

This little girl was so cute with her family but we were most taken by her bright, ruffled swim suit which she didn't get wet. The picture doesn't show how beautiful her hair was arranged.

Dad and I accompanied the North Americans in the CCM on their mid-CCM-experience trip to Old Lima and the coast. The day was perfect. Just imagine--we are at the coast on a summer's day just a few days before Christmas. Still can't get used to the idea of Christmas and a summer's day--it just doesn't work with, "Chestnuts roasting by an open fire..."

Dad and Carlos enjoyed a good visit while we traveled on the huge bus to the coast and then to Old Lima. Carlos, de Cusco, has been the general manager of the CCM for 25 years, his first job after earning his degree.

Kathryn Ghent's birthday brought all the office staff and missionaries together for apple pie. Kathryn is the sister to Cousin Tim Hess's wife, Suzanne. We have cousins everywhere, even in Lima.

We really enjoyed the Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar. We installed it on the home computer and the office computer. On the last day we took this picture. We'll keep the calendar on for next year. It's just too fun to uninstall.

After the Christmas Eve program at the CCM we had this picture taken with the President and Hna. Whetten. We will really miss them when we return home.

Our post Christmas FHE was such fun. We made gingerbread houses from square soda crackers. It was such fun to see everyone's creations.

Dad and I are quite taken by the typical Peruvian home, often constructed by the homeowners themselves, so we attempted to recreate one. Each room is a 10' x 10' sqaure brick square. The window is cut into the brick. Stucco is painted over the brick and then painted. Some homes have tile on top of the stucco. The windows are typically in front only. The watch dog lives or hangs out on the roof. The clothesline is on the roof. If the family hasn't finished the home, the rebar shows and the homeowners cannot be taxed so it is common to see unfinished homes and exposed rebar. We added the vigilante as well. We have two--Pedro and Carlos.

Christmas dinner was just a feast of beef, chicken, pork, sweet potatoes, papas pureed (like our mashed potatoes but thinner and sweeter), vegetables, and a choice of five desserts. We could choose three out of five! We have come to really enjoy the catering service. The food is consistently good and their service is with a smile. The salads are works of art. I have to take a picture before we go home. A choice of two fresh fruit juices accompanies every meal.

Graciela's family took me to Eduardo's concert. Eduardo (12) is Graciela and Cesar's oldest child and only son. He sings with the National Children's Choir of Peru. The Christmas concert was held in a cathedral near here. After the concert we met on the patio for panetone and hot chocolate.

President and Hna. Leiva, Lima East Mission, invited the missionary couples for dinner and surprise entertainment--a magic show. This young man was excellent! Here I am doing a card trick which I haven't figured out yet. Everyone but me knew which card he had picked.

What's Not to Like about...Tumbes?

What could be better than a hot, sunny day on a private, breezy beach? In January that sounds almost too good to be true; nevertheless, that's exactly where Dad and I spent the New Years weekend with our friends and co missionaries, Bruce and Kathryn Ghent. Caleta Grau is a fishing village about 40 minutes south of Tumbes, Peru, on the Peru/Ecuador border. Liliana Silva, secretary in the Area presidency office for over 20 years now, invited us to stay at their family hospedaje after she couldn't find rooms for us at the resort hotels nearby. We are so grateful she couldn't find rooms. Our experience on the beach wouldn't have been so fun and meaningful.

Dad and I enjoyed reading, walking and resting. It's just what the doctor ordered.

This picture is out of order, but so worthy of a place on the blog. We attended church in a casa capilla, a home which the church bought and created a ward building. Some of the ward members gathered for their pictures to be taken. The Relief Society president, a young mother, taught the Relief Society lesson and the Sunday School lesson.

The enclosed yard of the hospedaje was so welcoming--coconut palms, four hammocks, and tables and chairs. The chairs and tables were moved in for meals. We had the chairs at the beach most of the time we were there.

Liliana's mother is taking the grandchildren for a walk. Once Liliana and her family arrived, her mother cooked every meal--rice in broth or coconut milk, fresh fish, ceviche (which we couldn't eat because it is uncooked seafood marinated in lime juice), finely cut vegetable salads, fresh fruits, and eggs prepared with onions, vegetables, tuna and onion with lima juice (absolutely delicious!), and fresh rolls of all kinds. Liliana thought we could either go out for meals or buy food in the nearby market. We discovered New Years Eve the closest restaurant was a rickety mototaxi ride 20 miles away, there was only one restaurant that looked inviting or safe, and the market was out of most everything. On New Years Day we rode into town and discovered all the restaurants were closed. Only the street vendors were out and that is scary eating!

This is the view from the road which leaves the paved highway. Notice the hospedaje is the only developed property with trees.

Sunsets on the beach are particularly spectacular. I took this one as we were leaving to go to dinner New Years Eve.

Tumbes reminded us of angry bees after their hive has been disturbed--noisy, buzzing mototaxis, old rickety, dented taxis, trucks and cars without mufflers, congested sidewalks and streets, street vendors, barkers, crowded and small cafes, old hotels, and children riding in little cars around the main square which was actually fun to watch. Dad, Liliana's husband, one daughter, and her father took a separate taxi and went to a different square. It was some time before we met up, enough time to experience the bustling little city of Tumbes.

Ah, for the peace of the hospedaje! Here we are with the Ghents. The front door is actually a garage door. Novel idea! (An hospedaje is a step down from a motel and is run like a bed and breakfast.) Each room was just large enough for a (very comfortable) double bed and a small, clean private bathroom. We appreciated the ceiling fan and the one overhead light which was bright enough to read by.

The managers, Beto and Milagros, were delightful. She is a distant cousin of Liliana.

The hospedaje has four rooms on the main floor and four upstairs. The view from the hallway upstairs is awesome. We spent a breezy couple of hours lying on chaises and playing with Liliana's children.

Daniela 5 and Genela 7 were equally comfortable with their relatives and us.

This picture is a "Gwen picture." She would love to paint this scene--Daniela and Genela showing their little sister the ocean and waves.

Valeria, pronounced, Viladia, was so cute. One night she kept repeating, "Esta oscuro," and pointing outside. Then she put her finger to her mouth and made the "shh shh" sound. We couldn't figure out what she was saying. Finally, Liliana figured out she was telling us it was dark outside. No one knew how serious she was about the oscuro noche, until she refused to go outside for the family home evening. She was terrified of the dark. Only after the huge fire was lit, would she venture outside.

Liliana (in black), her mother and father next to her on the right, her sister Lesli with Valeria, the two little girs, and the Ghents and us, gathered for a picture after church. I noticed a little girl try to hitch a ride on the back of a moto taxi, my mouth is open to shout to the young fellow driving the taxi. This is a branch, quite remote, in fact. Right now there are no proselyting missionaries, but when the Piura Mission receives more missionaries, they can open up this area again. In the meantime, the ward missionaries are diligent and successful!

The members of this little branch were so grateful to have missionaries visit. It was a tender experience and I had a lump in my throat much of the three hours. They are so happy to serve and to bear their testimonies.

Dad and I and one of the girls rode home in one of three moto taxis. The ride isn't bad.

If I didn't tell you this is a gas station, would you guess it? See the liters of gas lined up?" Yup! That's gasoline for the moto taxis. The larger barrels on the roadside are for the taxis. When we are riding in a regular taxi, we are sitting on the gas tank! Scary. When they taxi is running out of gas, the driver just replaces the cannister.

This is a sunset view of the little fishing fleet of boats and one of the shacks where the fishermen bring their catch to sell to the locals. Each morning Liliana's mother and father walked up the beach to buy the white fish right off the boats. I don't know where they bought the fresh shrimp forSunday afternoon's dinner of cooked shrimp and onions dressed with lime. It was scrumptious!

This view gives an idea of the roughness of the terrain. There was no green grass of any sort. Also lacking were paved roads and sidewalks. We really were reminded of the old Westerns, the TV shows and movies of the Wild West. In some respects the land reminded us of Utah foothills or Kanab and Moab without the red rocks.

Ah, could life get much better than this? We joked about how many men it takes to plant beach umbrellas in the sand...when the wind is against the effort.

Then it turned into a frond waving moment. Shade and cooler air--who could ask for more? The men spent a lot of time chasing the umbrellas which uprooted and blew away a few times each day. The wind wasn't hard enough to blow the sand, just the umbrellas.

Such scenes as this one were so restful and renewing--lots of reading, lots of conversation, and a few cat naps.

Sand crabs are great fun to watch. They dig their holes every morning, gathering clumps of sand and throwing them up and away. They also pat the sand down with their two front paddle like claws. Notice the pattern this sand crab made to create his shade hole for the day.

This picture would be better blown up. Notice the sand crabs in the right corner working on their holes. They pinkish crabs are barely visible.

Kathryn and I spent early mornings collecting large oyster shells. However, when she found this, we knew we had a treasure. It's a honed tool of some kind. The holes suggest the stone might have been a hatchet or a cleaver lashed to some kind of handle.

Besides sand crabs, we watched moto taxis loaded with workers or families, cruising along the beach.

Sand crabs fight any other crabs who try to take over their holes. We watched this one go from hole to hole but he wasn't welcome anywhere. Apparently, he was too lazy to dig his own hole. He was also not pinkish enough. Interesting.

One morning Kathryn and I found this squid washed up.

Of all the beach "characters" this one stole the show. Every day this pink pig and one of his grey pig friends scavenged for food. The hospedaje is in the back ground. Milagros told us he belongs to a family up the beach somewhere.